BAMMA 11 results: 'Professor X' downs Marshman in thriller

While 40-fight vet Xavier Foupa-Pokam (23-18) entered Saturday’s BAMMA 11 headliner with just two wins in his previous 11 appearances, he combined with Welsh prospect Jack Marshman (11-2) to put on the evening’s “Fight of the Night.”

Foupa-Pokam survived a few near finishes to outwrestle Marshman and score a split-decision result.

The contest served as the main event of BAMMA 11, which took place at National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England, and aired in the U.S. on AXS TV.

Frenchman Foupa-Pokam initiated an early takedown and took top position in the first round, yet it was Marshman who locked in an armbar in the early going that looked certain to end the fight. Foupa-Pokam somehow survived the gruesome hold only to find himself back in the position shortly after. Still, he weathered the storm yet again and reset on the feet. Perhaps surprisingly, he went again for a takedown and comfortably settled into top position.

Foupa-Pokam took the fight quickly to the floor again in the second frame and opened up a nasty gash on his opponent’s face with a ground-and-pound assault. Marshman was brought up from the floor for a doctor’s inspection, but the cut was the below the eye and he was allowed to continue. Bloodied and battered, Marshman continued to fight and threatened in the final minute with a deep triangle-choke attempt in the entertaining back-and-forth scrap.

Foupa-Pokam continued his strategy in the third frame, setting up on top and firing punches and elbows from the top position. Marshman wasn’t able to muster any real counter in the third, marking a clear Foupa-Pokam frame, but the score of the fight was anything but a certainty when the two were brought to the center of the cage. Somehow, two judges believe Foupa-Pokam won all three rounds, and while the right man probably walked away with the victory, “Professor X” was awarded an oddly scored split-decision result with scores of 30-27, 28-29 and 30-27.

Breese stays unbeaten, claims British belt

Undefeated Brit Tom Breese (6-0) kept his perfect record intact and claimed the first ever BAMMA Lonsdale British welterweight champion with a fist-round submission win over Warren Kee (7-2-1).

Breese opened with two straight punches that rocked his opponent, but Kee alertly tied things up as he shook out the cobwebs and looked to return fire. Breese eventually freed enough space to land a few knees inside, though one hit the cup and did cause a brief stoppage. On the restart, Breese moved quickly back into the clinch, took the fight to the floor and quickly transitioned to the back, where he locked in a fight-ending rear-naked choke.

Breese is now unbeaten through his first six professional fights, and all six results have come via stoppage. After opening his career at 7-0, Kee is now winless in his past three outings.

Nunes remains perfect, Ray claims British lightweight title

In a matchup of heavy-hitting light heavyweights, Max Nunes (9-0) made quick work of Kevin Thompson (13-6) with a brutal ground-and-pound finish.

It was a Nunes leaping kick that wowed the crowd early and drew slight blood on his opponent’s face, but when the Swede punched into a clinch and scored a trip, Thompson’s time was limited. Nunes calmly settled into his opponent’s guard and looked to posture and punch. It started with glancing blows, but as Thompson looked to shift his hips and escape, Nunes blasted him with a pair of thudding left hands from top position. The pain caused was immediately evident, and the bout was waved off with Thompson in a daze.

With the win, Nunes remains undefeated through his first nine fights. Thompson falls to 1-3 in his past four fights.

In the night’s first main-card fight, Steven Ray (12-3) claimed BAMMA’s first ever Lonsdale British lightweight championship with a dominating decision win over Dale Hardiman (9-4).

Ray set the tone for the fight by scoring an early takedown and dropping for a heel hook. Hardiman alertly rolled through the hold and kept his leg safe before countering underneath with a slick triangle choke to armbar series. However, Ray escaped and settled back into top position to claim the round.

Hardiman tried to push the pace in the second, but Ray again worked himself to top position, where he controlled the majority of the action for the remainder of the fight and cruised to a decision win.

A total of 26 fighters got their chance to shine on Saturday as part of UFC 190 at Rio de Janeiro’s HSBC Arena. Now that UFC 190 is in the books, it’s time to commence MMAjunkie’s “Three Stars” ceremony.

The man known for cranking submissions to the point of injury added eye-gouging to his repertoire. But is the controversy of Rousimar Palhares too essential to his bizarre, awful appeal for his employers to take any meaningful action against him?